My September Recap

I apologize for my absence but as they say, I took a blog vacation. I didn’t mean for it to be so long, but time got away from me. I have been a little busy though. I even met up with a few of you for the shopping day in New York. Here’s the loot to prove it.

This is what I got from Metro Textiles.

From the top row, the corduroy is from Mood, the two knits in the top row are from Spandex House. The bottom two fabrics are from Elliot Berman.

Sorry I didn’t take any group pictures, but my main reason for going was to buy lace for my skirt project that I talked about in my last post. Let’s just say trying to find 6-7 inch black woven lace is not one easy task. I was a little discouraged as I wanted to start on my skirt right away and then realized it had to go on the back burner. Anyway, I was able to find two different designs at Pacific Trim, and one oddly enough on Etsy.

It’s recycled but I don’t care. I think it very pretty. Here are my choices. The 2 on the top on Pacific Trim and the one on the bottom is the reclaim lace.

Let me know which one you like the best. Here is the picture of the skirt again.

To take my mind off of the skirt I decided to design a dress for my four year old girlfriend who lives across the street from me. She told me she wanted purple and I said okay. She even came over and helped me mark up her dress. Of course I marked it first and she went over the lines I had already made. I had the idea of making a romper so I purchased Simplicity 5489 which is a basic romper pattern that I picked up at Joanns. The corduroy fabric is from Joanns as well.

I decided that I wanted to place a bunny rabbit on it. That’s when the wheels started turning. Instead of placing a patchwork type shape of a rabbit on the dress, I decided to make it a pocket.

I found a picture/outline of a rabbit online, blew it up, traced it on to tracing paper and then outlined it making it bigger because it wasn’t big enough to use as a pocket. I cut 2 pieces of fabric, interfacing one of the sides to make it sturdy. After attaching the rabbit pocket on to the dress, I thought it looked a little plain so I added a ruffle to the top of the romper.

Since my little buddy is still getting use to buttons, I tried to make it easier on her since she is dressing herself and gave her snaps to close the romper.

Now to complete this outfit, what rabbit would not like something to snack on between feedings. Let’s just say the dress was a hit and my dear little friend ran off to go and play with her dress.

In knitting news, I did finish my sweater and got a chance to wear it before the cold wave set in.

It was a hit and I got a few offers but I stayed strong.

This baby is for me, and I love the yarn I used.

Up next, some more knitting for others and a new dress, McCalls 6118 to dance my butt off in.

I didn't float away!!!

As you all know by now we had some major crazy weather in this part of the country over the weekend with Hurricane Irene. We lost power Saturday night, but it came back on Sunday morning. The only damage was to our vegetable garden. We're going to have to pick our corn early as the stalks have fallen over.

I originally was going to go to New York for Elizabeth and Robin's PR shopping day, but that was canceled. To make up for that, I made sure I stopped in at the 50% off sale that Fabric Warehouse was having, and I did behave myself. I walked out only spending $30 and got this lovely loot.

After that, I pretty much got my house and my mother's home ready for the storm by putting all the lawn furniture and items that might get blown away. Absolutely no sewing got done, but I did get time to think about what I wanted to sew next. I have planned that the cream and stripe fabric will become this skirt from Twinkle Sews.

I probably won't use the pattern from the book and will use one of the skirt patterns I already have used before like McCall 3830.

I've made this pattern up before and like it. It's my go to TNT pattern and I feel comfortable playing with it. The only thing I am missing now is the lace that I would like to use as the overlay over the cream. I will probably go to Joanns and look and see what they have. I might also check out a few sites online. A six inch lace should do it.

I'm thinking of using the Aztec like fabric for Vogue 1258.

The green and black fabric will become a top. I'm not sure which one yet, but we will see. I haven't designated a pattern for the red and black fabric yet, so that will sit in my stash for a while.

On the knitting front I got to work on my Chiton Pullover from Winter/Spring 2011 Knitscene.

I've been working on it off and on this summer and thought I better get cracking as summer is almost gone, and I'd like to wear it as least once before the cooler weather gets here. I'm knitting it with a yarn that I picked up at Maryland Sheep and Wool. It's cotton, bamboo and silk I think and I LOVE the colorway. I finished the drape neck front yesterday(I just love a drape neck) and I'm working on the back of the sweater now. Hopefully I can get that completed in the next week.


I'm off today and originally it was suppose to be a resting day for me, but I'm not to sure about that now. I might be moving my mother in as she has no electricity and PSE&G is saying services won't be restored till Sept. 4th. Oh well, back to the real world.

Happy Crafting everyone.

Hanging out in Burda Land

First off I want to thank all of you who left me comments on my costume in my last post. I am so proud of how it turned out. Since I was on a roll with the sewing, and I was, because not only did I make a costume for myself, but I also pumped one out for a co-worker's daughter in literally 3 days. I was crazy because I still had to make mine and only had 3 1/2 days to do it. I was tired after the fact, but it was well worth it seeing the end result.

In other sewing news, I've been wanting to work on a few new pieces for work, with an emphasis on pants, since I tend to wear them a lot during the winter months. Now I know that a lot of you have been working with Simplicity 2700, and I have that pattern in my stash as well, but a few months ago, I traced out my first pair of Burda pants. Now normally, when I work with the Big 4s I have to lengthen my pants by 2 to 4 inches depending on whether I like to wear heels with them. When I made the Dietrich pants, I noticed I didn't have to lengthen anything at all, and the fit was spot on. I could sew straight from the pattern with minimal or no alterations at all. With that in mind, about a week and a half ago I traced out BWOF 10/2008-132, the pants designed exclusively for Burda by Claudia Strater.

To be on the safe side I added an inch to the length, but in trying them on, I didn't really need to. In hemming the pants I took the more traditional way and did it by hand, using a blind hem stitch. I wanted a more professional look.
I contemplated edging the facing with bias tape to give it a more finished/polished look even though I'd already serged it. I so glad I finally did it. It gives the inside of the pants a more tailored look. I also used the interfacing that I purchased from Pam. Now I know what you all were talking about. THANK YOU!!!

I can tell you now, that I see more of these in my future. I loved how they turned out.

Since I was on a roll with Burda, and I genuinely love the fit, I next cut out BWOF 9/2010-121, the turtleneck pullover.

Karen had made a few and I loved them. I had a chocolate brown remnant that I picked up from Joanns about a month ago. I only had a yard, but I figured it was be nice to try this pattern out. The fabric was a tad short for making long sleeves but I was able to make the blouse with an elbow length sleeve. This was another winner from Burda. I loved that it only took me about an hour to make it once it was cut out. I loved it so much, that I went back to Joanns and purchased more fabric for a few more. I completed the leopard print one you see above to go with the Claudia Strater pants I made. There are definitely more of these in my future as well. This is #3 to the TNT pattern pile.

Now, since I have a blouse and a pair of pants made, you know I have to make a jacket to go with it. I liked the blazer that goes with the pants in the design, but I was looking for a different look. Right now I'm looking at BWOF8/2010-114 which is from the tribute to Jackie Kennedy. I think I have just enough fabric left over to pull this one off. Wish me luck. I'm hoping to trace it out in the next few days, or next weekend. I also have a few other tops in mind from the BWOF 9/2010 issue. #109 and #114. My fabric is washed, I only need to trace the patterns out. I don't know, I think I'm starting to like hanging out in Burda land.

In knitting news, I finished up a test knitting project for Knit Picks last month, and they sent me another one which I am currently working on right now. Sorry I can't show them yet, but I have to wait until they are published in their catalogs. I can tell you this much, I love both patterns and plan to make them for myself.

I'm also working on a hat and scarf set for a co-worker's daughter. Both the hat and the scarf are finished. I just need to weave in the ends and put some finishing touches to it. I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. I will show pics later on in the week after I get it completed.

I hope you all have had a very crafty weekend.

Hello Stranger!!!

As they say in the song, seems like a mighty long time. Or a few weeks. I kind of went on a blog break, which I did not intend to do. But life happens. I hope you all of been well. I haven't done any sewing really in the last few weeks. I've wanted to work on my Burda dress, but at the beginning of the month it was just too hot to go into the sewing room. I purchased a portable air conditioner for the house, but it never quite got the job done on cooling the house off. Don't get me wrong, it works if you're standing right in front of it, but it's not good on cooling off the whole room. I think because it was on the floor and the cool air tended to just circulate around the floor. Mr. D and I finally took it back and for the price we paid, replaced it with a window unit, a fan and a dual flush toilet for the bathroom that we are going to start renovating. Now we feel like we've gotten our monies worth, and the house is finally cooler.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me to make a baby blanket for her to give to her god daughter who was having her first child. This is what I was able to come up with.

When she received it she seemed pretty pleased.

This past weekend I decided to try and see if my sewing mojo was back. One of my knitting buddies Marissa is getting married next month. We had a shower for her over the weekend at our friend Robin's house. A great time was had by all. And the food was delish. It was a brunch and everyone brought a dish. Here is some of the food.

These first 2 dishes were made by Robin and Marissa. This sausage and egg dish was made by Lisa.This strawberry dessert was made by me, and the cupcakes were made by Laura.

I had been wanting to try Kwik Sew 3554 for quite some time, and since I have really never sewn for anyone before beside family, I thought this might be a start. I traced out the pieces for the small thinking she was a 36. I used stretch lace with a tye-dye floral print. and outlined the bodice with a floral trim. Front View Side View Back Close up of Front. I didn't hem the bottom as I used a wavy blade in my rotary cutter. I followed in Robin's footsteps and did a halter top instead of spaghetti straps. With not having Marissa around for fittings as I wanted it to be a surprise, I figured it would be easier. In doing so, I couldn't follow the directions to the letter. All in all, I love this pattern, everything went together very easily. When she tried it on, it was too big. I took it in an inch on each side, and then it fit perfectly. Ladies, I see this one in my future very shortly(as Mr. D saw this one and asked, "Hey babe, is that for me?"). This was my very first Kwik Sew experience and it will not be my last. I plan on sewing more of their patterns as I have recently purchased and have a few in my stash.

In knitting news, I'm working on wardrobe builders right now. Plain sweaters to wear with dresses and tops. I'm starting with the Short Sleeve Cardigan from Spring/Summer 2010 Knit Simple. It's part of the 1st Lady Flair Collection which were inspired after Michelle Obama. I finished the back, and am now working on the left front. I wanted to do both front pieces together, but the buttonholes are based on the button placement, and since I haven't figured that out yet, I have to do each piece separately. The yarn I'm using is Berroco Comfort. I have to tell you, I love the feel of this yarn.

Myra, I haven't forgotten about the blogger award you gave me. I'll be posting about that next. I also just realized that my blogging anniversary is in a few days. 5 Days to be exact. Stay tuned for a giveaway for that as well. As always, Happy Crafting!!

Crisis Averted!!!!

Everyone I know started getting their April Burda issue last week, but my copy was no where to be seen. I had purchased my subscription through Amazon, and you know I wasn't happy. I spoke to my buddy Karen and she agreed with me that I should check things out because I didn't get a renewal notice and she stated that she didn't think Amazon did renewals. Well my friends, I was freaking out by Monday. I checked my subscription and it stated that it wasn't expired until May 2010. I put an email in to Amazon, who then transferred me to the magazine company that handled my subscription. On Tuesday I received an email back on my inquiry and I was a little upset. I found out that my subscription had been fulfilled with the March 2010 issue, which meant Ms. Andrea was not getting an April issue. Well, we couldn't have that now could me. I was on the phone yesterday morning with a quickness. I found out that Amazon does NOT send out renewals for subscriptions (bad, bad, bad BADDDDD), THANKS Karen for the heads up again. I was able to renew my subscription directly through the magazine company and they assured me that I will now get renewal notices on a yearly basis. I have also calmed down because I was able to get my April issue, so hopefully I'll see that in a few days.
In other sewing news, I finally cut out Simplicity 4256. View C. It's the beige jacket to the far right at the top.

I still need to cut the lining out. I'm hoping to get that done tonight. Then I just need to mark it up and do some thread tracing and I'm ready to go. I'm hoping to get some sewing done this weekend. We'll see.
I finished the Vera Wang skirt except for hemming.
I plan on finishing that up by the weekend as well. I think I might serge and then prick stitch the hem. I haven't done prick stitching on a hem in a long time. I need to bone up as they say on my hand sewing skills.

I also finished the chemo hat that I was working on for a friend. Sorry it's not modeled but I'm sure you can understand. I can tell you this, the hat is sharp when it's worn. My hairdresser saw it Friday night and now she wants one, and personally I like it too, so I guess that will be hat #3 in the works.

I started working out again a couple of weeks ago, and I'm still going strong. I've lost about 6 pounds. It's a slow go but I'm trying. On Tuesday night I took a Zumba class for the first time, and LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE it. I am totally hooked. It kicked my butt, and I was crying for the last 15 minutes as I wanted to quit, but there were these 2 older women in back of me, I'd say around the age of 65 and older. I wasn't quitting if they weren't. Plus the class was packed. I didn't want to leave my corner.